Whiskey is beer

"To distill whiskey you first have to make beer. Beer is a technical term for whiskey wash, regardless of the type of raw ingredients used."

Update: Actually, most of the Bourbon and Tennessee whiskeys are made using hops (as an antibacterial) to propagate their yeast. Jack Daniels recently stopped using hops. Some Canadian distilleries use hops. It's only Ireland and Scotland that don't.

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Whiskey is taxed more than you are

More than 50 percent of the purchase price of a fifth of whiskey in the U.S. goes to taxes (federal, state and local). (Source.)

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Angels love whiskey

The "Angel's share" or "Angel's tax" refers to the 4% of whiskey that evaporates every year.

Angels "steal" 4% of the whiskey in a barrel every year. They want to make sure it's OK before we drink it.

To some people, whiskey tastes like burnt ass

Some whiskeys contain chemicals that only some people are genetically capable of tasting. If you can taste it, they taste like burnt ass.

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True whiskey drinkers don't add ice

A whiskey collector who we interviewed at a whiskey conference (watch the video) told us:

Ice dulls the flavor of whiskey. It reduces the temperature of the whiskey too much, inhibiting the flavor and freezing its aroma. If you must, adding one cube is moderately acceptable.

Taking it "neat" (plain) doesn't work well either. Adding just a drop-small splash of water is best. The water prevents the strong alcohol content from numbing your senses.

On the type of water, soft still spring water will enhance the aroma and flavor of a whiskey. Some tap water contains high levels chlorine that would spoil the flavor, so be wary.

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Lighting whiskey on fire

Another Scottish legend:

They used to light some of the scotch on fire to determine how much alcohol was in it.

The color of the flame shows whether or not the alcohol content is right. If it burns too hot, there is too much alcohol. They usually sold it to the distillery workers cheap.

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The Whiskey Rebellion of 1794

There was an uprising in Pennsylvania counties after Alexander Hamilton began taxing Whiskey in 1791. Scottish and Irish settlers resented the tax. Whiskey was an important economic commodity to them.

Rioting broke out in 1794 and the president at the time, none other than George Washington, sent troops to quell the rioting. Hamilton hoped to set an example using two rebels, whom he convicted for treason, but Washington later pardoned them.

There are 5-7 whiskey regions

Depending on whom you ask, there are between 5 and 7 different main regions where whiskey is distilled.

The five regional whiskeys always included are: Scotch Whisky, Irish Whiskey, Kentucky (Bourbon), Canadian Whiskey, and Tennesse Whiskey. The disputed two regional whiskeys are Japanese and New Zealand.

Now learn a little more about what to look for in some of them -->

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Region: Bourbon, Kentucky

Bourbon whiskey is distilled one time in Bourbon, Kentucky (90% of it, that is. Now it's not a requirement that Bourbon be distilled in Bourbon county).

Taste: it's made of mostly corn, so it's sweeter than other whiskeys.

Funnily enough, Bourbon county is a "dry" county, meaning they aren't allowed to sell any liquor.

Examples: Maker's Mark and Wild Turkey

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Region: Ireland

The very first whiskey was (arguably) created in Ireland by Irish monks.

Irish whiskey is distilled three times, "triple-distilled," using pure-malted barley as the grain.

Here's a fun video from Asylum about the origins of Irish Whiskey. Whiskey was apparently invented so that the Irish wouldn't invade another country. It worked. They didn't!

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Region: Scotland

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"Scotch" only refers to Scottish whisky or Scotch whisky.

The Scots also say they were the first to create Whisky. Technically, as far as we can see, whisky does not seem to have been a recognized product in Scotland until after the Union, whereas the Irish were distilling spirits from malt at least as far back as 1590. There is also legend that says the irish monks actually introduced whiskey to the Scots.

Examples: Macallan, Glenlivit, Tallisker, Oban, Highland Park

Tastes: smoky (because it's made from barley dried over peat fire.

Cool story: the Scotch whisky scene was hugely influenced by the Act of Union in 1707 that combined England, Wales, and Scotland into the UK. The London government started taxing Scottish-made whisky (and cutting the taxes on English gin). Illicit distilling boomed. In Edinburgh there were apparently around 400 illegal stills and just eight with licenses. (Learn more.)

A bunch of Scottish distilleries, particularly in the Highlands, started as illicit operations.

Region: Canada

Canadian whiskey is distilled any number of times using malted rye as the grain.

"Canadian Club" was a massively popular whiskey during the '50s. It's the only North American distiller to have been granted a Royal Warrant (now withdrawn). It's also the whiskey you see Don Draper always drinking in Mad Men.

Seagram's and Sons is also a popular Canadian whiskey. So is Crown Royal.

Canadian whiskey is the number one imported spirit into the United States. It's second in consumption only to vodka. (Source.)

Tennessee

There are only two brands of Tennesse whiskey right now. Jack Daniels and George Dickel. (Source.)

Fun fact: On the first Friday of every month, employees at Jack Daniel's get a free bottle. (Source.)

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There are also whiskey "blends"

Blended whiskeys take whiskeys from multiple distilleries and combines them.

The normal ratio of malt to grain is 60% grain whiskey and 40% malt whiskey. Each whisky used in the blending process has usually aged for about 5 years. The point is to have it taste the same year after year. (Source.)